1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates to an endoscope including an imaging element capable of outputting, as image information, a photoelectrically-converted electric signal from a pixel arbitrarily designated to be read among a plurality of pixels for imaging and also relates to a processing device for performing predetermined image processing with respect to the image information transmitted from the imaging device.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, in a medical field, an endoscope system has been used to observe an organ of a subject such as a patient. The endoscope system has, for example, a flexible elongated shape and includes an imaging device (electronic scope) inserted into a body cavity of a subject, an imaging element which is provided at a distal end of the imaging device and which captures an in-vivo image, a processing device (external processor) which performs predetermined image processing with respect to the in-vivo image captured by the imaging element, and a display device capable of displaying the in-vivo image on which the image processing is performed by the processing device. In a case of acquiring an in-vivo image by using the endoscope system, an insertion part is inserted into the body cavity of the subject and illumination light is emitted from the distal end of the insertion part to a body tissue in the body cavity. Then, the imaging unit captures the in-vivo image. A user such as a doctor observes an organ of the subject based on the in-vivo image displayed on the display device.
As such an endoscope system, a technology to output in-vivo image information, which is captured by an imaging element, as an optical signal to a processing device has been known (see Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2008-36356). In this technology, it is possible to reduce the number of transmission lines which connect the imaging device to the processing device. Thus, it is possible to reduce a diameter of an insertion part.